As Super League reaches the halfway mark Hull KR find themselves in a position perhaps best not regarded as perilous, but certainly one which doesn’t leave a feeling of either satisfaction or comfort.

A campaign littered with hard luck stories, underperforming and the occasional ray of light poking through a gloomy sky, could have been much better. You can make a good argument it should have been much better, but reality points to a different outcome.

And if the old adage that the table does not lie has any truth to it, then the statement it is currently making doesn’t make good reading.

Four wins from 14 games is a poor return and finds Rovers second from bottom, helped by a two point safety net and the knowledge that this season’s newcomers London Broncos are struggling.

Relying on the continued miss-step of last season’s galloping Broncos is not the philosophy the Robins will take, knowing limping their way to safety will not be tolerated.

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There are some mitigating factors to KR’s season of struggle for consistency and form, most notably a forward pack decimated at times and an ever revolving door of players coming in and out.

When you can’t have consistency of selection, how do you have consistency of performance?

It’s a question coach Tim Sheens will have been asking himself, but with his injury room looking a little less like A&E on a Saturday night, the Rovers coach knows it’s time to start building performances and results.

And if Sheens knows it, so do his players.

“We are down towards the end of the ladder right now but once we get some boys back we can get some wins and hopefully climb that ladder,” explains the hardened veteran Kane Linnett.

The 30-year-old who arrived from North Queensland Cowboys ahead of this season is confident in his side’s ability to start to climb the league ladder, but he knows to do so and to ignite their season, putting a run of victories together is key.

“Nobody gets relegated in the NRL so this is different, but we have some boys coming back and we’re not too worried about that,” added Linnett.

“We are half way through the year and there’s still a long way to go.

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“The mood has been a lot better and the boys have been more upbeat at training after winning at Salford, but we know we need some wins back to back if we are to climb the ladder.“We still have a few injuries, but having Mitch Garbutt back this week is big for us. The table is very close and a win could lift us.”

Linnett is right, the table is close. A win at Huddersfield this evening would lift Rovers level with the Giants on 10 points and while they’ll remain behind them due to a significant points difference, drawing level with tonight’s hosts would be significant.

Hull KR before kick-off with the tackle bags (Image: Richard Addison)

A victory could be enough to take them four points clear of London and with a trip to the Broncos on the horizon, while successive victories would be the perfect fillip for a side who, as Linnett explains, owe their fans a raise in performances and results.

“It’s good to see some of the fans have stayed really strong after some of the results we have had this year,” says Linnett.

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“The fans have really got behind us and we had a good following at Salford. We need to pay them back for the support they are showing.

“The last time we went to Huddersfield they put a few points on us. We have been focussing on our defence and trying to get that better and I think we took a few steps in the right direction last week. It is a big focus for us to strengthen our defence.

“They were really good last week and could easily have beaten Saints. Hopefully that game took a bit out of them, but we know we have to focus on ourselves.”